Spare a Dime? (How About a Buck?)

Nobody likes to be shaken down for money, nobody. We Americans are a very generous and giving lot, but there is a limit. As times get rougher and tougher, it was bound to happen, this thing that Middle Township Committee is about to adopt, an ordinance prohibiting aggressive begging.
Desperate people do desperate things and times are not getting any better economically. Nevertheless it is not unreasonable to expect those in shopping malls should be safe and not fear they may be robbed by someone begging money, especially if they don’t give when asked.
It can be very scary, especially for a woman alone in a dark shopping center parking lot, to have a scruffy-looking man almost demand, “Hey, you got a couple bucks for a bus ride?” It’s happened a great deal, day and night, especially in Rio Grande. Because of that chilling reality Middle Township Police Chief Christopher Leusner knows it is not the safe, secure setting the municipality wants, and is working to achieve for residents and shoppers.
The ordinance is properly identified as furthering this “quality of life” issue, everywhere in the 72-square-mile municipality, but especially in the Rio Grande area, which has witnessed a crime rate increase. For that reason, Leusner has ordered more patrols for that section of the township where many stores are located.
To get in the proper mood to write this, I listened to Al Jolson croon, “Brother Can You Spare a Dime?” Perhaps times were different when that anthem about the Great Depression, written by Jay Gorney and E.Y. Harburg, E. Y., was popular. Now it is not a dime that’s being asked, and not in a beggarly manner or tone. So how should we address this issue of begging and, in general, deal with “the poor?”
“Once I built a railroad, I made it run Made it race against time Once I built a railroad, now it’s done Brother, can you spare a dime?
“Once I built a tower up to the sun Brick and rivet and lime Once I built a tower, now it’s done Brother, can you spare a dime?”
Gone are those black-and-white photographs of lines of men in suits, white shirts ties and wearing hats peddling apples or pencils for a nickel. Vanished are others, similarly dressed with signs extolling their reasons to need a job, lined up for bread at a soup kitchen. But that does not mean they are not out there.
In Rio Grande, located in the woods off Old Rio Grande Boulevard live homeless people. In the woods behind the Acme in Court House are more homeless people. It may be a bit different here than in “the city,” where homeless crouch over steam vents to keep warm in winter or sleep in alleyways, still they are here. We just don’t see them as often, or perhaps, don’t want to see them.
I recall a class trip to Philadelphia’s Independence Hall and the nearby tourist spots with my son. He spotted men rooting through trash cans pulling out uneaten food. It was something he had never seen in Cape May County, but in “the city” it was reality. How could they possibly eat food other people tossed in the trash? He was puzzled.
Other municipalities may copy Middle’s ordinance that defines begging. Accordingly the proposed ordinance spells it out: “Speaking to or following a person in a manner that would cause a reasonable person to fear bodily harm or the commission of a criminal act upon the person or upon property upon the person’s immediate possession or would intimidate another person into giving money or goods.”
Begging by that definition also includes asking, begging or solicitation of alms for money or goods as a charity as well as any attempt to block or interfere with traffic flow of a person or vehicle in any public place.
While the ordinance offers a case-by-case allowance for police to issue a permit to seek legitimate donations, Leusner was very clear it will not be a free pass beggars. “The police department will only issue permits to law-abiding citizens for a legitimate purpose or part of legitimate organization that we would check out prior to issuing the permit. We have no intent to issue permits to individuals that want to use that activity as generating income for themselves,” he said.
Taking the proposal to the next level, it spells out where not to solicit and forbidden times. There is to be no begging in an aggressive manner; none within 100 feet of an ATM (many convenience stores have them), no solicitation of vehicle drivers, no begging between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. and none within 25 feet of an entrance or exit of a business establishment.
There is, of course, a way for bonafide organizations to collect funds, but that’s far different from accosting people in a dim parking lot.
I’m told some cities solve their problems with the homeless and beggars by offering them a one-way bus ticket to anywhere out of town. That does nothing to solve the problem; it only puts it onto someone else’s back. Veterans Affairs pledges to work harder to address homelessness among veterans, which accounts for a great number of those individuals. Great work, but that does not solve the problem here and now.
Begging is a sign of the times where we live. Many claim they can’t find a job yet help wanted signs are frequent. No, they might not pay much, but they are employment. Fences need fixing, trees need trimming and houses need painting. There is no need to beg. There are many who expect the government to provide them housing, meal tickets and medical care, to name some of the things that many cite as reasons not to work in those low-paying jobs. Our system is broken and needs fixing, who has the wherewithal to accomplish that deed?
Is it better to beg than work? Some would rather starve than beg. With the new ordinance, At least it will not be as comfortable to beg as it may be now in Middle Township. Penalties and fines start at $250 plus 30 days in jail and five days of court-approved community service. That, of course, may be viewed as merely a way to get a month’s free meals and place out of the weather by some beggars. If they are begging in the first place, it seems unclear how they will pay a $250 fine, but that’s not for me to solve.
The proposed ordinance passed first reading earlier this month. A second reading, public hearing and consideration for adoption will be held Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. in the Middle Township Municipal Building.
“Once in khaki suits, ah, gee, we looked swell Full of that Yankee Doodly Dum Half a million boots went slogging through Hell And I was the kid with the drum
“Oh, say, don’t you remember? They called me ‘Al’ It was ‘Al’ all the time Say, don’t you remember? I’m your pal Buddy, can you spare a dime?”